Red Snow
by The Emerald Princess
Summary: Once a Leafe Knight comes into their power, aging is slow. When Himeno is gone, the Knights must search out a new Pretear, but will she accept them? This is the story of how a new Pretear must learn to follow in the footsteps of greatness. CHAPTER THRE
1. Chapter One

**On the Notepad:**

**1. ****Write this story down. Hope it's a little different than most.**

**2. ****Sasame will be like the manga character, as I like that one better. Kei's looks will be like those of the manga.**

**3. ****Sasame and the Princess of Disaster went their own separate ways. In other words, he's back to the way he was with Himeno.**

**4. ****Not sure of the pairing yet, but it might be GohxOC, KeixOC or MannenxOC. **

**5. ****Also, this will take place in an American city to make things easier. **

**6. ****My posting will vary by the times I feel most inspired.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear or anything else except Alyssa. I am not doing this for any profit, or any other reason except I had an idea I wanted to write down. _

The Emerald Princess

**CHAPTER ONE**

Leafe Knights, once they are in full control of their powers, don't age much.

Perhaps that's how Hayate came to be standing in front of Himeno's grave, looking much the same as he had 60 years before.

You see, after the threat from the Princess of Disaster had faded, Hayate and Himeno had grown up, and life had continued in its same path. Himeno's life had been fine, with no other major threats for her and the Knights to take out. Hayate finally got up the courage to confess his love for her and they had married when Himeno graduated from college. No children appeared from their union, though both were happy as could be; raising Mannen, Hajime, and Shin had been enough for them.

Unfortunately, there was no way to stop the effects of time. It had been hard, watching Himeno age, when Hayate still retained his youthfulness. But, Hayate had changed. He let his feelings and love guide him, knowing that even though Himeno would die, one day he would get to be with her in the Unknown. Then, he knew that nothing would separate them.

A smile and a tear graced his face, as a winter breeze pushed his blue-black hair away from his neck. He closed his sapphire eyes. It would be difficult with her gone, he knew. But, they had to find a new Pretear, for the evil things of the world would not give up. What if a new threat appeared soon? They had to find the new Pretear, and fast. He brushed a soft kiss against the stone marker of his love, and left Leafenia.

The Knights heard Hayate's call. They met at a large park, in a clearing where the fountain in the center had been shut off for the winter. All seven instantly changed into street clothes. It was Hayate, the unspoken leader, who broke the silence first.

"It's going to be challenging, but we all have our duty as Knights. We must protect the Leafe of the world, and to do so means finding a new Pretear. Split up and search for her. If any of you find her, call us."

The Knights remained silent, but did as they were told, leaving Hayate to start his own grim search in the cold, north wind.

Sasame had been voted to search out a school. He noticed that things had changed a lot since Himeno was gone. The Knights had gone to a new city, and they had found their occupations again. The city had an all-girls academy, and the Knights had started to search in that area.

Unfortunately, school had already let out and most of the girls had left for their homes by now. Sasame looked around and noticed a few girls on the campus. He wondered how he could get to hold their hands. He sighed and leaned against a tree, out of view from the girls. He knew that Hayate found Himeno by knocking her down, and he guessed that he would just have to do the same. However, this meant taking each girl one by one, and that could take several days. Time was not on their side.

Suddenly, the Knight heard the slam of a door opening. A young girl flew out, her shoulder-length chestnut hair flying about her. She looked disheveled, and in quite a bit of a hurry. She raced straight towards Sasame's hiding spot, her backpack bouncing on her shoulders.

'Perfect,' thought Sasame, 'At least I'll be able to test one girl today.'

The minute the girl came past his tree; Sasame stepped out, "accidentally" bumping the girl and causing her to fly backwards and land, butt first on the sidewalk.

"I am so sorry!" he apologized sincerely, wishing there was a better way to test the girls.

Green eyes, filled with anger and impatience, peered up at him through her mess of hair. He looked close enough to notice that her hair was in choppy layers and supposed to be parted to the side.

She let out a deep breath, and pushed her hair out of her face. "No, it's entirely my fault," she said. "I should have watched where I was going."

Sasame smiled. "At least let me help you up." He offered a hand.

She took it. Sasame waited, and then their appeared a sudden spark. The girl pulled her hand sharply away.

It was clear from her reaction that the girl hadn't seen the light that accompanied the spark, but she certainly felt it.

"Ow!" she exclaimed. She pushed herself to her feet, and shouldered her backpack.

Turning to Sasame she said, "I'm sorry for shocking you. Thanks for you're help, but I'm in a really big hurry, right now."

"It's really my fault," Sasame stated, "But, if you have a minute, I would like to talk to you about something, Miss…."

"The name's Alyssa," she nodded. "I'm sorry, but I'm already making my carpool late, and I really must go. Why do you need to talk to me anyway?"

"I'm Sasame," The Knight of Sound replied. He thought fast. "I'm a radio personality who's new in town, and I wanted needed to interview a few people for my show."

"Wow!" Alyssa seemed excited. "I get to be interviewed for the radio! That's so cool!" A car horn sounded, and her face fell. "I'm sorry Sasame. I really have to go, my carpool's waiting." She started to walk away.

"Wait!" Sasame called. Time was definitely not on their side. "What about later?"

"I guess that could work," she answered. "I'll meet you in the park, okay? About 4:15pm?"

Sasame nodded. Alyssa took off again. He waited until he was sure she could not see him, and touched his ear-band.

"I found her," he murmured, "She's coming to the park. I will meet you all back there." The Knight of Sound abruptly disappeared.

Alyssa hurried towards the center of the park, once again struggling not to be late. She was excited and just a bit nervous to be interviewed for the radio. She shivered inside her coat and hoped that Sasame would be quick with his interview. It was getting cold.

She saw no people at the park. Most didn't come there during the winter months. Looking around, she tried to spot Sasame. The thought crossed her mind, that he could be a killer or a rapist, but she quickly dismissed it. The park was pretty open, and surrounded by homes. Plus, he looked like he could be a junior at one of the area high schools. Besides, she lived in a good neighborhood. Nothing like that would happen.

Alyssa finally saw Sasame, sitting on a bench near the fountain. She grinned and went over to him.

"Hi again, Sasame," she sat on the lip of the fountain. Sasame smiled and stood. It was then she realized that he had no notebook or tape-recorder.

"Umm….Sasame? Aren't we supposed to be doing an interview?" She spoke nervously.

"Actually," Sasame replied, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

She stood, her guard up instantly. Before she could move, seven other males, of various ages, surrounded her. She was shocked, and very scared. As she searched the faces of them, Alyssa saw that the smaller boys looked to be between the ages of her 7th grade sister, and herself.

"Wh-who are you?" Her voice shook.

"We're Leafe Knights!" a boy about her age proudly stated. He had, she was horrified to find, snow-white hair, dark blue eyes, and he was wearing shorts!

"You see, Alyssa, we are the protectors of your world," Sasame continued. "Leafe is the life force that is found in everything, and without it your world would cease to exist. Though our powers are great, we cannot defeat the evil that continually threatens us without help."

"That's where you come in," said another. This one looked to be about a junior. Alyssa absently wondered how much gel he had to use to get his brown hair to stay spiked. "You're the Pretear, and when your power combines with ours, we can defeat the sinister forces that threaten this world!"

There was a stony silence, and then to the seven Knights' astonishment, Alyssa began to laugh.

"Very funny everyone." She straightened. "But the joke's over, and I'm going home." She began to walk away.

"You can't do that," another Knight spoke, this one about a senior, with hair so black; it looked blue when the fading sunlight hit it.

His sapphire eyes sharpened when he shouted. "We need you, come to you and ask for your help, and all you can do is laugh?! Then, go on! Go home like a cowardly dog! We don't need a girl who can't even summon the courage to become the Pretear!!"

"I don't believe this!" Alyssa yelled back.

"That's right! You don't!" he shouted, "So go home!"

Alyssa stood there for a minute, and the Knights held their breath. Then, she raised her green eyes to the sky and let out a breath.

"God help me if I'm falling for the World's Biggest Prank™," she sighed. "But, reverse psychology doesn't work on me, Raven-head."

At this, the dark-haired Knight fumed. But, before he could open his mouth, Alyssa spoke again.

"If this isn't all some kind of set up, then I guess I'll become Pretear or whatever it is you guys want me to do."

All around the circle, except for the black haired Knight, eyes lit up. One Knight with a bandana around his head high-fived a younger boy with blonde hair and green eyes.

"I'm glad," Sasame smiled. While the raven-haired Knight gave a huff and folded his arms.

"Okay, that's good, then I guess I know this isn't a joke, but you still didn't answer my question. Who are you?"

"Oh, we forgot introductions!" the brown-haired Knight spoke. "I'm Goh, the Leafe Knight of Fire."

The smallest Knight, he looked to be about 10, with blonde hair and dark green eyes smiled.

"I'm Shin, the Knight of Plants."

The bandana boy turned to her. He had two long strange of orange hair that hung out from his bandana in front of his ears. On one of the strands was a small bead, which looked strangely like Sasame's ear-band. He had teal-blue eyes.

"I'm Hajime, Knight of Water," he told her. He looked about 12.

The white-haired boy, about her age spoke. "I'm Mannen, the Knight of Freezing." His dark blue eyes glinted mischievously.

Another Knight, this one looking like he could be a senior as well, had dark blonde, wavy hair that came just below his chin. His eyes were such a light brown, that they looked almost gold.

"Kei," he stated, "the Knight of Light."

"And you know Sasame, the Knight of Sound," Goh interrupted. "The last one of us is Hayate over there, the Knight of Wind."

The new Pretear nodded politely to them all, except Hayate, whom she just glared at.

"I'm Alyssa, pleased to meet you all."

The silence was clear for a moment, until Alyssa spoke what everyone else had been thinking.

"Well, now what do we do?"


	2. Chapter Two

**On the Notepad:**

**1. ****Very confused right now! To all the Mannen lovers out there, sorry but I think good friends are about the extent of MannenxOC . I still don't know about Kei or Goh. Let me know who y'all like in the reviews! I am leaning towards Goh.**

**2. ****Thanks to the reviewers from last chapter!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear or anything else except Alyssa. I am not doing this for any profit, or any other reason except I had an idea I wanted to write down. _

The Emerald Princess

**Chapter Two**

All eyes turned towards Hayate. Slowly, it dawned on Alyssa that Hayate was the Knights unofficial leader. Great, she thought, I've just made enemies with the person who could've helped me the most, just great.

Meanwhile, the Knight of Wind merely turned up his nose, and folded his arms reclusively into himself. It was apparent that he was still seething at the insult from earlier.

Noting that Alyssa still looked confused and lost, Kei took pity on her and decided to at least answer her question.

"In order to become the Pretear," he said, "you must combine your Leafe with the Leafe of a Knight."

However, instead of clearing things up, the girl's face seemed only to grow more befuddled. Sasame also watched Alyssa, and suppressed a chuckle at the poor girl's confusion.

"You understand what Leafe is, right?" he asked her. She nodded in reply. "Good. Now, when a Knight combines with the Pretear, through a process we call preting, the Pretear gains his powers and the ability to create new Leafe."

Alyssa didn't speak again, but everyone was able to tell that she still didn't really comprehend what the Knight of Sound was saying.

"I think, in order for you to understand, I really must show you." Sasame came closer to her.

"All right! Are we going to practice Sasame?" Hajime bounced excitedly.

"Yes, Hajime, we are." Sasame turned back to Alyssa and gave a reassuring smile. He extended his arm. "Take my hand," he murmured.

Tentatively, Alyssa reached out, and placed her hand in his. His fingers closed around hers as a bright light surrounded them both.

Alyssa felt her whole body relax. She went into some sort of trance, fully aware of what was happening to her, but unable to control any of it. She was a bystander in her own body.

Her free arm came up around herself, and then she realized that she was naked. The light made it almost impossible to see, but when she looked closely, she could tell. Alyssa wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She looked towards Sasame, and saw that he was too. She didn't dare look further than his face. His body was surrounded by a bright purple aura, as he pulled her closer to himself, so close that they were almost touching.

She didn't have time to think anymore, because her eyes closed of their own violation. She felt Sasame's hand leave hers, and her body curled up into a fetal position.

Suddenly, Alyssa felt herself come out of the trance, and realized that she was standing where she had been before. She looked down at herself, and saw that she was now in some frilly dress, that was much too revealing for such a cold day.

Her eyes were wide in shock, and for a minute she simply stood there, frozen in place. Then, instinct took over. Turning, she fled, not caring where she went, but running as fast as she could away from the people who had just turned her life upside-down.

She didn't hear the other Knights calling her, confused and bewildered. All she knew was panic, and she ran, blood pumping through her frozen veins.

Sasame didn't know what to think. In all his years as a Knight, he had never heard of a Pretear running away from a prêt. He brushed away his thoughts. First, he had to calm the Pretear, if they wanted to get anything done.

Sending a mental call to the other Knights, he let them know that he would handle it. Alyssa didn't need the others around her just yet. They might scare her even more

_Alyssa, _he called, _calm down._

"Sasame!" she cried out, as she stopped, her eyes rolling in panic. "Sasame, what did you do to me?! Where are you?!" She began to cry hysterically.

_Easy, easy,_ he soothed. _I will explain everything to you, but you must relax. You'll be okay. _When he felt her Leafe quiet within him, he began to speak calmly to her.

_What we just did is preting. I am currently inside you, and you are hearing my voice in your head. Our Leafe has combined, and you are now the Pretear of Sound._

"Why was I naked?!" He felt her terror rise again.

_It is merely a part of the prêt. Why does it scare you so?_

She turned away and didn't reply. Sasame felt shame and embarrassment emitting from her. Sasame probed, and realized why she felt that way.

_Ah, so you are ashamed of your body. _It was not accusing her, simply stating a fact. _You feel that you are not beautiful; not fit for a male._

Her Leafe repulsed him. "Get out of my head!" she screamed.

_Stop trying to expel me. We are one and you will only succeed in hurting yourself if you continue. Both sides must wish to disengage the prêt at the same time. _

She shivered and fell silent, finally succumbing to the prêt and giving in, allowing him to fully meld with her. Sasame sent her a small portion of Leafe, to keep her warm, and to comfort her.

_Are you calm now?_ She nodded, but refused to say more. Sasame knew she couldn't accept the prêt like this, or she would never want to prêt again.

_Preting is not all bad, you know. _He coaxed her. _You forget that you have many new powers to explore, and sometimes it can be fun. _

"I doubt it," she muttered.

_I'm telling the truth! I am the Knight of Sound, just close your eyes and listen._

She did as he said, reluctantly.

_Breathe in, and listen to the sounds around you._

The trees whispered with the wind, and creaked around her. Images flashed into Alyssa's mind of the area around her and herself. Sasame felt her wonder and amazement.

"Sasame," she gasped, "look at all the things I can see!"

_You are not seeing them. You're hearing them. The images in your mind are made from the sounds around you. _

"Wow," she said in awe, and opened her eyes. "That was amazing!"

Inside, Sasame smiled, realizing that she had forgotten for the moment about the prêt.

_I think we should go back to the others now. They are getting worried about us._

"Oh, I guess you're right." Alyssa began to walk.

_Why walk, when you can fly._

"I can fly?" Alyssa said her disbelief evident.

_With any Knight you can fly. Just jump in the air and trust me. I'll take care of the rest. _

"Umm…"

_What's wrong?_

"I'm kinda afraid of heights." She blushed, embarrassed.

_We won't go too high. I promise. Don't be afraid._

She took a deep breath, and sprang into the air with her eyes tightly shut. Sasame let them rise into the air, to a height she would be comfortable with, and sped them towards the other Knights.

Alyssa opened her eyes, and gasped with the exhilaration of freedom. She laughed with delight and Sasame smiled.

Finally, they came into the view of the other Knights. They had all changed into their uniforms, and watched her touch down in front of them. Alyssa closed her eyes, as she floated gently to the ground.

She opened her eyes and looked at the circle around her. The Knights watched her worriedly. Suddenly, without warning, she burst out laughing. The Knights stared at each other in confusion, and waited for her to stop and inform them what was so hilarious. Alyssa managed to compose herself. Still chuckling, she told them,

"Nice outfits."

**Quote Me:**

**"I BRAKE FOR PROCRASTINATORS!"**

**The One and Only, Emerald Princess**


	3. Chapter Three

**On the Notepad:**

**Okeedokee, it's official! The votes are in and the winner is…..I can't decide! I guess it's whatever way the wind takes me. However, I think I will try my hardest to have a love triangle and several interests. I will sincerely try my hardest to not be OOC. Reminder: Kei's looks are from the manga.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers! Everyone is sooo nice!**

**To Clarify: The time thingy. 60 years passing would make Himeno roughly about 76 when she died. For simplicity's sake I am keeping the year 2005. Like I said, the Knights age slowly, and I mean VERY SLOWLY! Everyone has aged about 3 years, the older Knights look about the same. Mannen is about 16, Hajime is about 13, and Shin is about 8. Hopefully, this has been clarified. If not just let me know.**

**Chapter Three**

The Knights had stared at Alyssa awkwardly, but after she composed herself, practice continued. Slowly, the new Pretear got used to Sasame's voice in her head, helping her. She practiced basic attacks, but she still couldn't fly very high.

Finally, Sasame declared them finished.

After they were on the ground, Alyssa realized that she had no idea how to get out of the prêt.

"Sasame?" she asked.

_Yes?_

"Um…how do we get out of the prêt?"

_As I said before, we must both disengage it at the same time. Now, on the count of three, you must **want** the prêt to end. Ready?_

She took a breath. "Okay."

_One…Two…Three._

Alyssa wished very hard to become herself, and not the Pretear of Sound. She felt a slight draining, like energy flowing away, then opened her eyes.

She stood in her normal clothing, and Sasame was next to her. He gave her a reassuring smile, as Mannen, Hajime, and Shin crowded around her.

"You were awesome!" the Leafe Knight of Water exclaimed.

"Yeah, good job for your first time," said Mannen, smiling.

The Pretear felt a thrill of pride, even though it was for something she had not believed in 45 minutes ago. She smiled and looked up at Sasame.

"Very good," he commented. "Once you have more practice, you'll gain more control of your powers, but for a first time you did exceptionally well."

Alyssa grinned and glanced around the circle at the other Knights. Goh was smiling and nodding.

"You're going to be fine," he said happily. Alyssa was about to speak, when suddenly, she felt tired and weak. Her arms trembled, like she had just finished a cross-country race, or had an extremely tough swim practice. She blinked quickly to rid herself of a sudden onset of dizziness, and ran a hand over her face. She wobbled, and struggled to stay upright.

"Are you all right?" She heard a voice ask. Vaguely, she realized a Knight was standing over her. She hadn't been aware that she had fallen to the ground until now. He had blonde hair and eyes that seemed golden. His outfit varied in shades of yellow. She struggled to recall his name.

He hadn't spoken much, Alyssa thought. Then it came to her. Kei, his name was Kei, the Leafe Knight of Light. He offered her a hand and she took it, managing to stand though her legs were shaking, and with the younger Knights crowding around her.

"Back off guys, give her room to breathe," said Goh, dragging the younger Knights away.

"Are you ill?" Sasame looked worried, and even Hayate had drawn closer to her, unconsciously perhaps, but he was still there. "You seemed fine during the prêt," Sasame continued.

Kei cut him off. "Her energy is weak. I think it may have been too much for her at once."

Alyssa still used him for support. "What?" she asked, confused.

Kei turned to her. "Until you build up your strength, preting may have a weakening effect on you. It takes a lot of Leafe in a person in order for them to manipulate it."

Alyssa was feeling very overwhelmed. Her grip on Kei's arm slipped and she fell to her knees, unable to support her weakened body.

Immediately, Mannen rushed to her side. Goh still held the younger Knights back, but they all drew closer. Tears of frustration at being helpless came to Alyssa's eyes.

"Hey, it's okay," Mannen soothed quietly. Turning to the others he spoke, "Guys, we should take her home. I think Alyssa's had enough for one day."

Gently, the Knight of Ice picked the girl up, supporting her under her head and knees.

"Don't cry," he said. "C'mon, I'll take you home." Mannen lept into the air.

"I can't help it! I can do this myself, Mannen! Put me down!"

Mannen was stunned by the girl's sudden wish to do things herself. Gently he set her down, at the same time giving her a little Leafe to help. She wobbled for a minute and then took off.

"Yeesh, slow down will ya?" he cried. He flew quickly about a block to where Alyssa was panting against a tree. He let her catch her breathe and was about to say something when she shook her head.

Alyssa turned to him. "I'm sorry Mannen. So sorry for getting mad at you. It's not your fault, I just I-I….." The Pretear lacked the words to continue and her voice trailed off.

"Nevermind." She stopped, shook her head wearily and walked towards her house.

"Wait!" Mannen ran up beside her. "I've got an idea. What if the Knights and I watch over you and give you some Leafe occasionally? That way you can grow stronger, and build up your Leafe at the same time. How 'bout it, huh?"

"Mannen," the girl continued to walk and didn't look at him. "I appreciated the help, but I just don't believe in this! I can't have just done what I did, I was hallucinating, or dreaming, or-or something, but things like this don't just happen! Not to me and not to anyone else! I don't want this Leafe or Pretear job, or even to prêt! Not now, and not ever again!" With those final words the girl ran for home.

Mannen stopped and stared after her. _How can you not believe in something that's right in front of your eyes!_ He wondered.

Confused, the Knight of Ice shook his head and returned to the others. Immediately, Goh pounced on the younger Knight.

"How is she!"

"You guys I think she's really scared," the Knight of Ice worried. "Sasame I don't know what happened back there, but she's totally frightened out of her wits! She said she didn't want to prêt, ever again, that she didn't even want to be the Pretear!"

"Ha! I knew it!" Hayate smirked.

"Shut up!" All the other Knights yelled at him. The Knight of Wind gave them a smoldering glare and then disappeared.

"Well that's just great," Goh remarked sarcastically.

"Enough," Kei said. "We'll watch over her and I think that a boost of Leafe once in a while might help her too. We'll wait until she's ready for preting, and just work on gaining her trust and controlling her fears for now. We wouldn't want to end up with another Princess of Disaster."

"Kei's right," Sasame agreed. "I'll start the watch tonight, as I'm not working, and who's ever available after that can take a shift. I'll work on calming her down too."

"The rest of us will try to get some sleep as well," Kei said. He looked to the younger Knights. "You all still have your lessons tomorrow."

"Aww, man," groaned Hajime.

"C'mon Mannen," Shin said as the Knights began to return to Leafiania.

The Knight of Ice looked back towards Alyssa's house before reluctantly vanishing.

**P.S.**

**Sorry for the shortness. Finals ya know? Once summer's here there will be a lot more posting. But hey, I'm not a loser, I FINALLY POSTED! Also, DO NOT mistake this for a Mannen x OC fic, I have no idea who I'm gonna pair, so it's whichever way the wind blows, which may be a lot of ways. And sorry about the spelling for Leafiania(sp?) If anyone can help with that I would be grateful. **

**I'll be posting soon!**

**The Emerald Princess**


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